


Darling, So It Goes

by peachpit_gabe



Category: Carry On Series - Rainbow Rowell, Simon Snow & Related Fandoms
Genre: Angst, Canon Compliant, Feelings Realization, Fluff, M/M, Music, Singing, The stairs, Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch Is Gay for Simon Snow, Violins, Watford (Simon Snow), Watford Eighth Year, but like...not a lot of angst, just a little blood
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-07-22
Updated: 2020-07-22
Packaged: 2021-03-05 03:01:37
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,062
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25427359
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/peachpit_gabe/pseuds/peachpit_gabe
Summary: "The melody is slow and soft. I think I recognize the tune, maybe from the radio we would listen to in the care homes, because it hits me with a bittersweet nostalgia. If I’m being honest, I actually do enjoy listening to Baz play."After a hard day of training with the Mage, Simon just wants to go back to his room and relax. Instead he accidentally interrupts Baz's violin practice. What could go wrong?
Relationships: Tyrannus Basilton "Baz" Pitch/Simon Snow
Comments: 18
Kudos: 114





	Darling, So It Goes

**Simon**

* * *

It’s raining as I make my way back to Mummer’s House...not the kind of rain that pours down and makes you feel cleansed. It’s just _spitting_. A true gray English day to match my mood as I trudge through the mud, muscles aching, head splitting, and just mentally spent. My shirt is torn. I’ll need to ask Penny to spell it together again. One of my trainers is untied. I don’t care; if I trip it really won’t add much more irritation to the day.

The Mage has been putting me through the ringer; he says that I “need to be ready for when the time comes.” I’m not sure if he means the Humdrum, the war, or both...but the tests and trials are becoming more than I can handle lately. He keeps wanting me to hone my magic but my magic is volatile, it’s the kind of wild that I don’t know how to tame, and I can’t seem to do anything right. I suddenly hear Baz’s voice in the back of my mind, “ _You really are the worst Chosen One ever chosen, Snow._ ” Bastard. Even when I’m berating myself I can’t escape him.

I realize, by the time I’m at the Weeping Tower, that I’m leaking magic everywhere. Everything in my vision is hazy, I’m stressed, and I smell like sweat mixed with a damn forest fire. I try to calm my breathing and slow down as Mummer’s House comes into view. I try to think about good things.  _ Roast beef for dinner tonight. Scones with butter. Fresh evening air. The smell of my room...woodsy and bright. _ A few more breaths and the cool air does the trick; I just need to do what I do best, not think. Not about the Mage, the war, the Humdrum, and not even about Baz.  _ Especially not about Baz. _

The thought comes too soon though, because as I make my way up the stairs I hear the soft sounds of a violin being played. I glance down at my watch (Penny made me start wearing one so I’d stop asking her the time) and internally curse myself for not realizing sooner. Everything seems stagnant when it’s just bleak and gray outside. I’m not usually here in the early afternoon, but since the Mage let me out early I’m walking into Baz’s practice time. 

The melody is slow and soft. I think I recognize the tune, maybe from the radio we would listen to in the care homes, because it hits me with a bittersweet nostalgia. If I’m being honest, I actually do enjoy listening to Baz play. He’s talented (of course he is...the perfect prat) and he’s got musicians' hands; calloused from years of practice. He's got these long fingers that are suited for pianos and strings, I assume. Not that I’m paying attention.

He would never let me watch, though. I walked into the music room once, during fourth year, and caught him off guard, playing some classical piece and he stopped immediately once he caught sight of me. He’s been like that ever since. I rest my head against the door and listen for a few more seconds. Once he sees me come in, he’ll stop, so I might as well enjoy it a little longer.

I eventually push the door in and expect an abrupt end to the music and a sneer in my direction, but I’m surprised to find he’s not paying attention at all. He’s got these big headphones on, plugged into a (restricted!) mobile. The Mage would have a proper fit if I told him a member of the Old families had restricted technology right here in the dorms. He’s facing away from the door, turned towards my side of the room, playing along to what I assume is playing from his phone. He’s got sheet music sprawled on the sheets and on his lap that he’s glancing down at occasionally. 

_He looks so soft,_ I think to myself. His hair is pulled into a messy ponytail, his shirt is untucked and his sleeves rolled up, and his lips slightly parted as he continues to play. I realize I’m staring and decide I should probably make him aware of my presence. (Honestly I’m surprised he hasn’t smelled me by now; I was just leaking magic and I’ve been running around all day in training). I’m trying to move into his line of sight when I hear an intake of breath. I wince and brace for the nasty remarks to come flying at me; the prat probably knew I was here the whole time. I’m sure he’s about to tell me off for ruining his practice and I brace myself for sarcasm and insult. Instead I’m floored, because he starts to _sing_.

_Wise men say, only fools rush in…_

I’m baffled to say the least. I never knew he could sing...or maybe I just never thought he would like to sing in the first place? He’s so deep into his practice he can’t even tell that I’m here. I never thought Baz, uptight, circumspect, perfect Baz, would look this _free_.

_...but I can’t help falling in love with you._

A stray hair slips down from behind his ear into his face but it doesn’t phase him. _I want to tuck it back for him_. The thought comes out of nowhere and I quickly file it away in the “do not think about” part of my brain. I’m tired and seeing Baz actually acting soft is making me feel weird.

_Like a river flows, surely to the sea…_

His voice is a soft baritone, velvety, and for some strange reason it seems to be quelling the anxiety that had recently been dragging me down. The song is obviously a love song, but he looks a bit...sad as he sings. I wonder who he’s thinking about? For a moment, a white hot anger burns in my veins as I imagine he’s thinking of Agatha. The thought leaves me as quickly as it came, because ever since she dumped me, Baz hasn’t even given her the time of day. I was always convinced he was going to steal her, but now that she’s not mine, he’s stopped flirting. Maybe he _was_ just trying to rile me up all along. 

_...darling, so it goes, some things are meant to b-_

Just as I think I should just leave, to let Baz have his alone time, I see his nostrils flare and he turns slowly and his eyes lock with mine. _Fuck._

Time seems to freeze, if only for a moment, but I snap back to reality to collect myself. Baz looks like a rabbit caught in the headlights. I turn to leave. Might as well just go find Penny before he comes to his senses and starts in on me. Unfortunately as I turn, my shoelace gets caught underneath my foot and I think, “ _well shit,”_ as I tumble down the stairs.

**Baz**

* * *

Fuck’s sake. He saw me. How did I not notice him? I mean, right there at the end, I got a whiff of smoke and the hairs on the back of my neck stood up. I locked eyes with him and he looked...calm somehow. Until the absolutely gormless minger tripped over his own shoes and sent himself flying down the stairs. Nicks and slicks, why have I been cursed to love this idiot boy?

I’m battling between two distinctly different urges. 

1.) To run right past him and hide in the catacombs out of sheer embarrassment 

or ...

2.) to drag him up the stairs only to throw him back down them again myself.

Who just stands in a doorway watching someone like that?! Shaking my head, I’ve made the decision to run, when I hear Snow curse from the bottom of the stairs “ _jesus christ…_ ” and I pause. He’s swearing like a Normal. That’s...unusual, and I worry that he’s actually hurt. I reign in my emotions and settle into my mask of indifference and make my way to the door.

I peer down and see that he’s holding one of his ankles. His left eyebrow is split open and a small trickle of blood trails down his perfect tawny skin. My nostrils flare. “ _I shouldn’t_ ,” I think to myself. I sigh. _Merlin’s fucking beard_. I pull out my wand and start down the steps to the bottom...because I’m weak. 

**Simon**

* * *

“ _I really should have stopped to tie my laces_ ” _,_ I reckon to myself as I clutch my ankle. The pain is searing so I stop trying to move it. I feel a warm tickle on my eyelid and realize I must have cut my forehead on the hand railing. Great, what an amazing way to end this awful day. Well, now I really should go find Penny and have her patch me up. 

I grab the railing and pull myself up, trying my best to regain some dignity. I gently test putting my pressure on my right foot. Horrible pain. “Jesus Christ,” I hiss. I quickly pull my foot up and sit back down, leaning sideways on the steps. That’s when I hear shuffling above me and I turn to see Baz peering from the doorway. His face looks bored save for that damnable eyebrow raised at me. He sighs and slips his wand out of his sleeve and I start shouting at him, panicked that he’s really going to do me in this time.

“Anathema! I don’t care if we’re in the stairwell, you can’t attack me!” He's halfway down the stairs and he rolls his eyes.

“Seriously! It’s not my fault you weren’t paying attention to the door, I didn’t even do anything!” I’m about to call my sword when he points his wand at my head and casts **get well soon** on me. 

I feel the cut on my eyebrow start to patch itself together and the dull ache in my head lessens. I gawk at him as he sits on a stair lower than mine and pulls on my ankle. 

“OW, you git, don’t touch it!” I bark at him, but he continues to ignore me and casts a few more **get well soons** directed toward my (most likely sprained) ankle. I’m quite confused. He’s still sporting his usual sneer and raised eyebrow, but he’s muttering healing spells at me.

“How come you're helping me, then? Is this another one of your plots?” 

He looks up at me, rolls his eyes, and scoffs.

“Hah, I’ll be a numpty’s uncle before a flight of stairs kills you before I get the chance to.” Baz slips his wand back up his sleeve as I narrow my eyes at him. I’m still not convinced he’s being honest with me. Why not just let me bleed and moan at the bottom of Mummers while he laughs it up in the safety of our bedroom? 

“Seriously Snow, you’ll give yourself an aneurysm thinking so hard,” he sighs and stands up from the steps, brushing his trousers clean. “I’m serious. You may think I’d rather you die now, but I’ll have my victory by my own hands, thank you very much.”

I’m skeptical but I’m also tired, so I let it go...for now. I try putting weight on my foot as I pull myself up and notice that the sharp pain is lessened. I’ll still need to head over to Penny or Ms. Possibelf, but at least I can make my way there more easily. 

“Uh, Baz...sorry for uh…” I try to get out some kind of apology for invading his privacy, but he cuts me off.

“Spare me, Snow. Just go get your head checked out, you wouldn't want to lose the last brain cell you have.” His insults are par for the course, but seem to have lost just a little of their usual venom. I glare in suspicion but turn back towards the school. I throw up the two finger salute above my head and chuckle to myself when I hear Baz scoff. I make my way to the Cloisters with the sound of a violin playing in the back of my mind. 

I hum the entire way there.

_Take my hand, take my whole life too._

_For I can’t help falling in love with you._

**Author's Note:**

> My second fic! AAAAAHHH! Another big thanks again to @Aristocratic_Otter for her amazing and talented beta-ing. Seriously, apparently I just love run-on sentences.
> 
> You can find me on Twitter and Insta at the handle @peachpit_mo and on Tumblr (where I usually post updates and art) at peachpit-mo !!!!!


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